The complicated development of the monkeypox outbreaks are threatening Vietnam's efforts to restore international flights amid the peak summer holidays, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV).
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Speaking at a Friday meeting, CAAV's director Dinh Viet Thang said that July was the peak summer holiday season when the domestic aviation market saw robust growth of five percent on-month and 38 percent compared to the figures of 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic.
A report from CAAV showed that Vietnamese airports served nearly 12 million passengers in July, of which 10.6 million were domestic travellers, up more than 40 percent, but foreign visitors were down 65 percent against pre-pandemic figures.
The amount of cargo handled at the airports was 119,000 tonnes, a drop of 9.3 percent, the report said.
Thang noted that the country had so far restored up to 80 percent of domestic flights compared to the pre-pandemic period, but the number of resumed international flight routes remained at approximately 40 percent due to the pandemic restrictions applied in some countries and the Ukraine war.
"CAAV's target of restoring all international flight routes by the end of this year is now hindered by the spread of monkeypox which has prompted countries to tighten rules," he said.
Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City are seeking Ministry of Health approval for health declarations on all arrivals from abroad due to fears of a monkeypox outbreak.
